Gift Exchange
by fleshnblood
Summary: Jane and Maura exchange Christmas gifts and something more. Femslash, oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I appreciate but don't own the characters. They belong to Tess Gerritsen and TNT Network. Thanks for the loan. I'll take good care of them.**

A/N: For Rizzles Girls Challenge

Unrelated to my story in progress "For You, Jane" (M)

Detective Jane Rizzoli stood in her parents living room, coat on, watching her pop, Frank, Sr., and Frankie sleep in front of the TV.-a typical finish to a Christmas day. Dinner had off without something breaking or catching on fire but it still was damaged. Her mom, Angela, had brought up _that day_. Frankie was blameless as usual, leaving Jane to carry the burden of her shooting and his, because he followed her into police work. Jane, fresh out of anger, went for her coat until Pop eased it out of her hands, and brought her back to the table. If Maura had been there, she would have certainly defended her. 'Maura understands' Jane told herself.

"Honey." Angela walked from the kitchen with a bag and Jane met her at the door. "Here are some leftovers for Maura."

"Thanks, Ma." Jane had invited Maura, but, as usual, she had promised to cover Christmas day for her staff so they could be home.

"Jane, I'm sorry. I don't know why I do this. I love you so much and I can't stop thinking..."

"Ma, I gotta go. Jo's in the car." Jane kissed her, thanked her for dinner, and her gifts.

Outside, it was dusk and light displays were on. The temperature had dropped and the snow had been heavy. Jane forced herself to drive slowly in spite of how badly she wanted to get home and call her friend.

Dr. Maura Isles sat at her desk, dressed in a designer sweater and slacks but dark blond locks and makeup done perfectly. She was reading an old, hardbound copy of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." She used to read it every Christmas as a child. She considered what a gift it would be to be able to see into your past, present, and future, even through dreams filled with moralizing, critical ghosts in this case, so as to attain some clarity about what is truly important in one's life. She sipped her coffee spiked with Irish whiskey and fingered the present on her desk. She wondered how Jane's Christmas had gone. The Rizzolis. People she never would have had occasion to know in the past, now felt like family. It was evidence of a change in herself, opening up to people, taking chances. She checked the weather on her computer and considered calling Jane, saying they should just exchange gifts tomorrow for safety purposes but for a wave of selfishness, didn't. She wanted to see her; to be with someone she cared about on Christmas. Maura thought about Jane, how close she had come to losing her best friend. Her mind could not stop the flashbacks: the gunshot, Jane falling, placing her finger inside Jane's entrance wound to slow the bleeding, sitting at her hospital bedside, the raw emotion of crying in each other's arms.

She had just picked up her book again when her cell rang.

"Dr. Isles."

"Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas, Doc!" Jane said.

Maura smiled, "Merry Christmas!"

"I'm home, get over here."

"I don't know, Jane. How are the roads?"

"They're...passable. If it gets bad, spend the night with me."

"All right."

"Yay, Christmas sleepover."

Jane rushed around, turning on her tree, unpacking food, until she heard Maura's knock. Maura stepped inside her apartment. Her hair was dusted with snow. Jane brushed from Maura's hair and hugged her. Jane touched one of Maura's pink cheeks. It gave Maura momentary pause.

"You're frozen. And shouldn't you be wearing a hat? Don't we lose body heat through the head?"

"It's a myth, Jane. The percentage is more like 10-20."

As Jane warmed up the traditional leftovers, Maura attempted to make mulled wine with makeshift ingredients, complaining all the way. As they sat in the kitchen, Jane watched Maura pick at the food. Maura commented on ingredients but when she questioned Jane her overall day, Jane's response was "fine, it was fine." They retired to the couch with their wine and the blanket from Jane's bed to watch a black and white 30s version of "A Christmas Carol." Maura added asides about the life of Charles Dickens and the plight of the poor in 19th c London, displaced by the Industrial Revolution, until Jane told her to stop. Jane became bored and a little sleepy so she announced it was "present time" and retrieved her gift for Maura. Maura did the same and they sat crossed-legged next to each other on the couch.

"You go first," Jane said.

Maura's present was bigger than a box of candy, traditionally wrapped in holiday paper and chewed on one corner.

"Sorry about that, Jo got to it," Jane apologized.

Maura started to carefully open one end of the package.

"Just rip it open, Maura!"

Maura obeyed. She took a digital picture frame from the box and turned it on. It began to cycle through the photos: Frankie's camera phone pic of Jane and Maura post marathon at the Robber, beers in hand, looking bedraggled in their "P.U.K.E." running suits, then Jane glaring over a huge take out cup of coffee, Korsak stuffing a donut in his mouth, Jane, arms crossed in front of her leaning on her car, Frost by the car, hand on hip, exposing his side arm, and a close-up of Jane.

"Frost helped me take pictures and load them."

"It's lovely, Jane. Thank you." Maura started to cry.

"Geez, Sweetie, don't cry," Jane put her arm around her. "You told me when...when I was in the hospital that you didn't have a picture of me."

Jane gave hers the obligatory shake then opened her gift. She tore off the fancy wrapping to reveal a jewelry store box. Inside was a silver watch.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Jane said, examining it.

"I had it engraved," Maura sniffled.

Jane turned it over and read: "_For J, Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace. M._"

"It's a quote by Amelia Earhart. She was a pioneer like you, Jane. She did things a woman had never done before."

Jane stared at the inscription. She felt the tears coming she had stubbornly held back earlier that day.

"What's wrong?" Maura put her hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Ma needed to talk about the shooting. Pile on me again. It was Christmas day, for Chrissakes."

"I hope you didn't argue with her." She stroked Jane's long, dark brown hair.

"I almost walked out. She doesn't understand. Not like you do."

Maura took Jane's face in her hands and turned it toward her. She wiped a tear with her thumb.

"She is afraid, Jane more than ever. She knows you would sacrifice yourself and there is nothing she could do to stop you. You scare me too but I trust you, Jane." Maura had decided, in that moment as she looked at the hurt in Jane's deep brown eyes, to take a chance. She closed her eyes and kissed Jane softly on the lips. Jane did not kiss her back nor did she pull away. Maura opened her eyes and checked the look on Jane's face: mild surprise, mouth partially open.

"Jane, I think I have developed romantic feelings for you...but... I guess you realize that since I've just..." Before she could finish her sentence, Jane kissed her back, tentatively at first, then with urgency, tasting the sweetness on her lips from the wine, until she was breathless. Jane looked at Maura, into her warm, brown eyes, at her lips that wore a hint of a smile.

"Thank God, Maura. I thought it was just me,"

More than the dizzy feeling caused by the sudden spin their relationship had taken, more than the flush of desire that extended from their lips down deeper to the place between their legs, was the most profound sense of relief that once furtive touches and glances would be freely accepted and given. Jane and Maura fumbled like adolescents to find the position where they could best get at each other for exploration: they scooted close, legs intertwining, wrapping around each other, fingers in hair, hands searching under clothing for the smooth skin.

They lay on the couch, Maura behind Jane, wrapped in the blanket from Jane's bed, bare skin pressed together. Jo curled in a ball at their feet. Jane clung to Maura's arm draped across her chest and thought 'this must be peace.' She mumbled "merry Christmas, Sweetie" before drifting off in the comfortable warmth. Maura kissed her shoulder, "merry Chrsitmas" she whispered. She nuzzled her cheek into Jane's hair and considered this gift Jane had given her: perfect and exactly what she had wanted.


End file.
